Healthy Eating | Nemours KidsHealth

Here are five of the best ways to encourage healthy eating habits in your child, whether they’re a toddler or teenager:

1. Regular family meals are important.
2. Serve healthy snacks and foods.
3. Eat healthy and be a good role model.
4. Avoid food fights.
5. Include children in the process.

It’s hard to eat well when you have a busy family and convenience foods are readily available. Our tips will help you incorporate all five strategies into your busy family.

Family Meals

Both parents and children find comfort in family meals. The predictability of meals with the family is a comforting ritual for both parents and children. Regular family meals benefit:

• More likely to consume fruits, vegetables and grains
• Less likely to snack on unhealthy food
• Less likely to use alcohol, marijuana or smoke

Family meals also give parents the chance to teach their children new foods and be role models for healthy eating.

It’s not surprising that teens may reject the idea of eating with their families. They are busy and want to become more independent. Studies show that teens want to hear their parents’ opinions and advice, so make mealtime a time for reconnecting.

Try these other tips as well:

• Invite a friend for dinner.
• Include your child in the planning and preparation of meals.
• Avoid arguing or lecturing during mealtime.

What constitutes a family dinner? You and your family can eat together, whether you order takeout or cook a meal at home. Aim for nutritious foods and a time that everyone can attend. It may be necessary to eat dinner later in order to accommodate a teenager who is at sports practice. This can also mean reserving time at the weekend when it is more convenient for everyone to get together, like Sunday brunch.

Stock up on Healthy Foods

Children, particularly younger ones, tend to eat what is available at home. It’s therefore important to manage your supply line – the food you have available for both meals and snacks.

Follow these guidelines to get started:

• Include fruits and vegetables in your daily routine. Aim for at least five portions per day. Serve fruit or vegetables with every meal.
• Keep fruits and vegetables readily available and easy to eat so that kids can choose healthy snacks. Low-fat yoghurts, peanut butter with celery, or whole-grain crackers and cheese are also good options.
• Choose lean meats, fish, beans, nuts, and eggs as good sources of protein.
• Choose whole-grain bread and cereals to give your kids more fibre.
• Limit your fat intake. Choose healthier cooking methods such as broiling or grilling. Choose dairy products that are low in fat or nonfat.
• Limit the consumption of fast food, candy and other low-nutrient snacks. Don’t ban all favourite snacks. Make them “once in a while” foods so that kids won’t feel deprived.
• Limit the sugary drinks such as sodas and fruit-flavoured beverages. Instead, serve water or low-fat dairy products.

Be an example

You can encourage your children to eat healthy by eating well yourself. Children will mimic the behaviour of adults that they see on a daily basis. You’ll send the right message to your children by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and not consuming too much less nutritious food.

A good way to set an example is to eat in moderation and avoid overeating. Speak about your feelings of satiety, especially when you are talking to younger children. You could say, “This is delicious, but I’m already full, so I will stop eating.” Parents who constantly diet or complain about their bodies can also cause their children to feel the same way. Keep a positive attitude towards food.

Don’t fight over food.

Food can easily become a source of conflict. Well-intentioned parents may find themselves bargaining with their children or bribing them to eat the food they have in front of them. It is better to let kids have some control over their food choices while also limiting the types of foods that are available in your home.

Kids should be able to decide when they are full if they are hungry, and what foods they want to eat. Parents can control what foods their children have access to at both mealtimes and between meals. Here are some guidelines:

• Set up a schedule for meals and snacks. When both parents and children know when the next meal will be, it’s okay to skip a meal.
• Don’t force children to clean their plates. This teaches them to ignore feelings of fullness.
• Do not reward children with food.
• Do not use food to show your love. Instead, hug kids, spend some time with them, or give praise.

Involve the Kids

The majority of kids enjoy choosing what to cook for dinner. Discuss with them the importance of making healthy choices and planning balanced meals. Some may even want to assist in shopping for ingredients and preparing the meal. Teach kids to read food labels at the store to start understanding what they should be looking for.

Select age-appropriate kitchen tasks to allow kids to participate without feeling intimidated or getting hurt.

Kids can learn about healthy eating through school lunches. You can help kids make positive changes if you get them to think about their lunches. Think about the foods that they would like to eat for lunch or shop for healthy foods at the supermarket together.

Another reason to involve your children is to prepare them to make good choices about what they eat. It’s not that they will suddenly crave salads instead of fries. But the habits you create at mealtime can lead to healthier choices for a lifetime.